Egypt will send its intelligence chief to Palestinian areas next week in a renewed effort to press militant groups to halt attacks on Israel, Palestinian officials said Friday. Gen. Omar Suleiman's visit comes amid growing Palestinian concerns that Israel will unilaterally define the borders along the West Bank if peace efforts break down. With Egyptian backing, Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia has been trying to persuade the militant groups to commit to a truce as a step toward resuming peace talks with Israel.

Palestinian factions opened talks aimed at producing a cease-fire, and Israel hinted it could reduce military activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip if a truce were declared. Egypt is mediating the talks, and Egyptian intelligence chief Gen. Omar Suleiman opened the session by urging the Palestinians to agree to a total cease-fire conditioned on Israeli reciprocity, Palestinian delegates at the closed-door meeting said. PUTIN WORDS IN HIS MOUTH: A top Kremlin official said he was expressing President Vladimir Putin's position when he told reporters earlier this week that Russia cannot sign the Kyoto Protocol in its current form.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak gave an unprecedented six-hour television interview last week, reminiscing about a life of power and military derring-do. But this was no valedictory. The 76-year-old leader told the audience he is considering running this September for his fifth 6-year term in office. Indeed, broadcast simultaneously on three networks over three nights, the extravaganza was the most eloquent testament yet to why one of the Arab world's most durable heads of state feels no rush to recede from politics.

(Reuters) - Thousands of well-wishers and Egypt's military brass gathered on Saturday for the funeral of the country's former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman, a key figure in the fallen Mubarak regime who died this week in hospital in the United States. Supporters of Suleiman chanted "God is great" and "in the name of God," as his casket was hoisted atop a horse-drawn cart after a ceremony at the Al Rashdan Mosque inCairo'sHeliopolis district. Some yelled out slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood, the party of newly elected president Mohamed Mursi and which Egypt's intelligence services fought for years to contain.

CAIRO (Reuters) - An Egyptian court will hear a suit seeking to prevent Hosni Mubarak's former intelligence chief and his last prime minister from running for the presidency, a judicial source said on Monday. Omar Suleiman, 74, who served for years as Mubarak's head of military intelligence and General Intelligence Service and was vice president in the dying days of his rule, joined the race on Sunday, fueling anger among activists and rival Islamists and liberals contesting for the top post.

As crowds of protesters in Egypt erupted in anger, Egyptians in the Chicago area were glued to their televisions and computers as they grappled with what they called shocking news: The president of Egypt was not stepping down, despite weeks of protests and hints that he would do so. "It's dangerous for the country for him to keep hold of the power," said Amr Abdelkireem, 41, of Algonquin. "People will get angry, and there will be more problems. " Shady Atia, 33, of Des Plaines, said many in Chicago eagerly waited Thursday afternoon for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's televised speech.